Needle lubricator



E. STEIN NEEDLE LUBRICATOR Dec. 19, 1939.

Filed June 16, 1939 Patented Dee. 1a, 1939 i 2,183

yUNITD STTE TENT NEEDLE Lunroaron Elias Stein, Boston, Mass.

Applieatien June is, 1939, serial No. 279,424 l 5 claims. (Cl. i12- 256) This invention relates to sewing machines, and soreadily applied as to make it available to almore particularly to means for applying lubricant most any user.v

to the sewing machine needle andl needle thread In the accompanying drawing wherein a preduring the sewing operation. ferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated 5 When the material being sewn is of'a sticky, by way of example, g 5` gummy or rubbery nature, for instance sheet rub- Fig. l isa fragmentary diagrammatic eleVatiOn ber, rubberized fabric or materials coated with showing the work support of a conventional sewan adhesive such as rubber cement, latex or the ing machine and indicating the-needle, the needle like, the needle may be so fouled with the sticky bar, land the lubricating device of the present in'- or gummy substance that it is diflcult to drive Veutin;

it through the work. An abnormal amount of Fig. 2 iS a Vertical Section, t0 larger Scale, DOVVer iS thus required, and the coating of the through the center of the needle hole and illusneedle with the gummy material may result in trating the' lubricating device of the present inbreakage or skipped stitches or damage to the VerltiGrl,l i5 goods being sewn. The shuttle also may become Fig. 3 iS a VieW frcm the right-hand Sideoi 151 fouled with the sticky substance so that it does not Fig. 2, showing the lubricating appliance aS aSSO- pass freely through the loop of needle thread thus Ciated With the Werk-Suppertirlg plate, arid further contributing rto frequent thread breakage, Figi'iS a diagrammatic plan VieW 0i the Werkirregular stitches and abnormal consumption of SuppOrtirlg plate With the lubricating device aSSO- power. f ciated therewith. 1 v 20 Moreover, when sewing certain materials of a Referring t0 the drawing, the numeral i desighard or close texture, for example leather, with a Hates the needle bar 0i the Sewing machine, and dry, that is to say an unlubricated needle, there is 2 the rieedle mounted tlieleiu- The Werk SuD- a tendency for the needle to heat even to the porting plate is indicated at 3. The Werk support extent of losing its temper so that it bends or 3 has the needle hele l and the S10t'5 fOr thev re- 2.5, breaks, andthe operation of the machine requires CeDtiOu 0f the feed dOg, (riot ShOWil-i, and iS alSO the expenditure of much more power than when preferablylOrOVided With au Oil 1101 5. sewing other and softer materials, In accordance with the present invention, a

To avoid the above diniculties it has heretofore reservoir 7, for the reception of lubricant, is probeen proposed to deliver a lubricating medium, for Vided, Such reSerVOir, aS here ShOWrl, being '0f Sub- 30, example oil, to the needle or needle bar from a stantially triangular contour in vertical section suitable supply reservoir or to provide an 011- in order that it may hold a substantial quantity impregnated pad which is rocked back and forth vof lubricant rand still not interfere with the shutin time with the operation of the needle and so tie, louper or other parte 0i the sewing machine as to engage the needle when the latter is near which fare ordinarily located between the work 35 the upper end of its path of movement, thus to plete. This reservoir may be 0f sheet metal or lubricate the-needle and to facilitateits entrance any other suitable material, for example a mouldinto the work and to prevent sticky or gummy subed plastic substance such as one of the synthetic stances from adhering to the needle, i resins, and as shown comprises the substantially o However, such prior devices have usually been 0f vertical Wall 8, the substantially vertical triangu- 40 somewhat complicated character and not always lar end Walls 9 and it, and the inclined wall il. readily applicable to ordinary types of sewing ma- This inclined wall reaches from near the lower chine, and in general have been so located as to part 0f the Wall '-3 Substantially t0 tileulcper edges expose oily parts above the work support where of the walls '9 and lil. However, the upper edge 5 they are subject to the rapid accumulation of of the wall il is preferably spacedbelow the topv 45 dirt and clust and where dripping of oil onto the edges of thewalls 'El and 'll a distance substanwork is always a possibility. y tially equal to the thickness ofthe applicator In accordance with the present invention prowick which is used. The upper edge of the wall il vision is made for adequate lubrication of the merges (preferably integrally) With a substan-V 0 vneedle and shuttle by the use of a simple devicetially horizontal applica-tor support l2. Secured'll readily applicablev to existing sewing machines of to `theupper surface ofv this member l2, at the A usual type; which is so located as to avoid any Opposite edges lof the latter, are spacing andl possibility of the dropping of oil upon the work guiding blocks I3 and i4, respectively, the inner `and upon which dust does not readily accumulate; edges of said blocks being spaced apart a dis- 5 and which is of such simple construction and tance substantially equal to the width of the ap- 55 plicator wick which is to be used-the blocks being of a vertical thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the wick. The member I2 and the blocks I3 and I4 are furnished with openings for the reception of screws I5 and I6 by means of which the reservoir is attached to the underside of the work plate 3, the latter being furnished with screw-threaded openings for the reception of the upper ends of these screws. The member I2, the blocks I3 and I4, and the plate 3 cooperate to form a substantially horizontal guide passage for the upper end portion of the absorbent applicator wick W, the lower portion of which is disposed within the reservoir 1. 'Ihe upper end I'I of this wick rests upon the part I2 (Fig. 2) so as to lie so close to or transversely of the path of movement of the needle 2, that as the needle passes down through the opening 4 in the work plate it wipes against the material of the wick. As this wick is of absorbent material, for example felt, cotton wicking or the like, and since the reservoir is supplied with a suitable lubricating medium, for example oil, the end portion I'I of the wick is always supplied with lubricant through capillary action, and thus as the needle wipes the wick, the needle receives a thin film of lubricant just sufficient to prevent gummy or adhesive materials from sticking to the needle and to enable the needle to pierce work of a hard and dense character. Furthermore, as the needle passes downwardly through the wick with the upper thread in its eye, the thread is moistened with the lubricant, and as the shuttle passes through the loop formed by this thread the oily loop supplies oil to the outer surface of the shuttle, thus tending to prevent the gummy material from sticking to the shuttle and reducing the resistance as the shuttle passes through the loop. Since the lubricant is supplied below the work plate there is no danger of the dripping of lubricant onto the work, and since the end I1 of the wick receives the lubricating medium by capillary action only, there is little danger than an oversupply of lubricant will be transferred to the needle. Moreover as the reservoir and wick are located below the work plate and closely adjacent to the under surface of the latter, there is little opportunity for dust and dirt to accumulate in the reservoir or on the wick. Lubricant may be introduced into the reservoir 'I through the needle hole 4 or through the oil hole 6 if the latter be provided. As the reservoir is capable of holding a substantial amount of lubricant, as well as a substantial length of wick. the device may be depended upon to supply lubricant to the needle and shuttle for a long period without refilling or renewal of the wick, and as the end I1 of the wick becomes worn the wick may be advanced by sliding it over the surface I2 and between the guide blocks I3 and I4, so as to provide a fresh material for contact with the needle.

As the device is of very simple character it may be constructed very cheaply, and as it requires no change in the sewing machine mechanism or the addition of moving parts thereto, its application to an ordinary sewing machine can be made at a minimum cost.

Although the reservoir herein disclosed is of a preferred shape and construction, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the use of a reservoir of this particular contour, but that reservoirs of any suitable shape such as may conveniently be located beneath the work support without interference with other parts of the machine, may be employed. It is further contemplated that a certain degree of lubrication, sucient at least for some purposes, may be provided merely by the use of an oilimpregnated applicator located like the portion I'I of the wick and supported beneath the work plate by means, for example, similar to the parts I2, I3 and I4, and even though no reservoir as such be provided for supplying additional lubricant.

I claim:

1. A lubricating device for use in a sewing machine of the kind in which a needle moves up and down through an opening in a work support, said device comprising an applicator disposed beneath the work plate and so located with respect to the needle path as to be engaged by the needle While the latter is below the work plate, and means for supporting the applicator in operative position.

2. A lubricating device for use in a sewing machine of the kind in which a needle moves up and down through an opening in a work support, said device comprising a lubricant-impregnated applicator disposed beneath the work plate and so 10- cated with respect to the needle path as to be wiped by the needle while the latter is moving up and down below the work plate, means for supporting the applicator, and means for supplying lubricating medium to the applicator.

3. A lubricating device for use in a sewing machine of the kind in which a needle moves up and down through an opening in a work support and cooperates with a shuttle below the work support in the formation of stitches, said device comprising a reservoir for lubricant, means for securing the reservoir to the under side of the work plate, and an applicator of absorbent material having a part disposed in the reservoir and having another part so located with respect to the needle path as to be engaged by the needle and the needle thread as the needle descends below the work plate.

4. A needle-lubricating device for use in a sewing machine of the kind in which a needle moves up and down through an opening in a work support, said device comprising a reservoir having an inclined wick-supporting wall and having an attaching element whereby the reservoir may be secured to the under side of the work plate, and a wick arranged within the reservoir with a portion thereof resting upon said inclined wall and with its upper end located so close to the needle path as to be wiped by the needle when the point of the latter is below the work plate.

5. A needle-lubricating device for use in a sewing machine of the kind in which a needle moves up and down through an opening in a work support, said device comprising a reservoir for lubricant disposed below the work plate, the reservoir having an inclined wall forming a support for an absorbent wick, the inclined wall merging with a substantially horizontal wick-supporting part spaced from the under side of the work support a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the wick, spaced guides arranged to engage the opposite edges of the wick, and means for securing the reservoir to the under side of the work support.

ELIAS STEIN. 

